Welcoming our En Plein Air Artists Heywood Gardens and Estate is a place of immeasurable beauty; somewhere to find a sense of history, tranquility, solitude and awe, and is the setting for Day One of this year’s Twin Trees Festival’s En Plein Air painting. We cannot wait to welcome our artists to this year’s event, […]
A Tale from the Schools’ Collection It seems the fascination with Heywood, Ballinakill, is not just a modern conviction! In the late 1930’s, a primary school student, named Nicholas Delaney, from Bray, Co. Wicklow, wrote of Heywood, for a schools project. His information had been sourced from Mr. Thomas Delaney, living at the same address […]
The good news is that gardens available for public visiting are once again… open, following the lifting of pandemic restrictions on movement, including our very own Heywood Gardens. In a new digital format, the attached GARDENS OPEN 2020 GUIDE lists 100 gardens, both pubic and privately owned, that are open to visitors this year. Particularly […]
After the departure of the Poe family from Heywood, the house was sold to the then Leix Board of Health, with a plan to transform it into a home, for the care of the elderly. This idea was shelved because of the huge cost involved in the reconstruction of the house; which subsequently lay idle […]
A walk around Heywood Demesne A collection of photographs taken along the route from Heywood Gardens, and through the beautiful riverside walk that leads back to the village of Ballinakill. This is the stunning setting for the inaugural Twin Trees Heywood Festival, which takes place during Heritage Week 2019, running from August 22nd – August […]
Twin Trees Heywood 2022 Yoga in Heywood Gardens with Simon Rogers. We cannot think of a better way to spend an August Sunday morning, than a calming yoga class with Simon Rodgers of Blackhill Woods Retreat. Reconnect with yourself in the stunning and peaceful gardens, the perfect location to give gratitude through yoga. Simon, an experienced […]
Twin Trees Heywood Festival. The Orangery at Heywood. Orangeries were a popular, stylish addition to grand homes between the 17th and 19th centuries. They originated in the Renaissance gardens of Italy, after advancements in glass production, allowed for the glazing of large expanses, such as roof areas. The Orangery was used almost like a conservatory, […]
Twin Trees Heywood Festival. Sham Castle at Heywood, Ballinakill. Situated at Heywood Demesne, Ballinakill, Sham Castle, and the Gothic Ruin, were constructed as follies, which were whimsical and fashionable additions to wealthy estates, at the time. The Trench family, who lived in Heywood House, intentionally had the follies constructed as ruins. They appear as they […]
Twin Trees Heywood Festival. Gothic Ruin at Heywood, Ballinakill. Situated at Heywood Demesne, Ballinakill, Sham Castle, and the Gothic Ruin, were constructed as follies, which were whimsical and fashionable additions to wealthy estates, at the time. The Trench family, who lived in Heywood House, intentionally had the follies constructed as ruins. They appear as they […]
Heywood Ballinakill Heywood Gardens were completed in 1912, and consist 50 acres of gardens, lakes, woodland and architectural features. The gardens have a spectacular setting on a hillside looking south-east over a sweep of undulating country which takes in seven counties. A walk lined with lime trees leads to a formal terrace overlooking the surrounding […]